Purchasing a fragrance is often a hard choice, department stores and shops are full to the brim of old-time classics, the celebrity endorsed fragrances, the new and the yet to be discovered and if I am honest, I am always unsure as to what I like the most. In recent years, I have become a bit of a fan of fragrance discovery sets and the option to try them at home, in surroundings you would normally find yourself in so that you get a good understanding of what does and does not work for you and your skin. Today sees the turn of this Gallivant Nomad Discovery set which I have been getting to know over the last few months.
Gallivant describes itself as being is an indie perfume maker from London and it was founded and created by Nick Steward. With a 'less is more' design ethos, Gallivant believe that a quality perfume can speak for itself; it doesn't need to be loud and flashy. This Nomad Discovery Set is a collection of unisex, gender-neutral eau de parfum which brings a thoughtful, honest and unfussy approach to perfumery.
There is a total of eight fragrances to be discovered from Gallivant and each one of them comes with their very own story and each one is named after a city or country and they are as follows:
- Amsterdam - This fragrance sits within the floral woody scents but with added spice. It has top notes of elemi, schinus molle CO2 extract, Szechuan pepper and saffron, heart notes of tulip and rose and sitting within the base notes you will find cedarwood, musks, sandalwood and amber. To me, this is quite a green, fresh scent which as it settles allows the spiciness to come through. It is warm, it is cosy and the floral notes are not overpowering for those who don't want a floral fragrance.
- Berlin - This is a definite Citrus, woody and spicy fragrance one that I have really liked wearing. It has top notes of grapefruit, clementine, lemon and Schinus molle CO2 extract, heart notes of black pepper and black tea and base notes of Haitian vetiver, cedarwood and patchouli. A wonderful light, clean scent with Vetiver being the ingredient which stands out to be noticed and I love how it opens with the boldness of the citrus notes before they settle down to allow the heart notes to clear the path for the base notes.
- Brooklyn - This fragrance is said to be a musky citrus scent with extra spice which has top notes of bergamot, squeezed lemon and orange juice. Incense, cardamom, ozonic. The heart notes of magnolia and orris root and finally base notes of white woods, benzoin, amber and musks. For me, this is almost like the powder you get from a lemon sherbert, tangy and citrusy and a bit of a contrast between the lemon and the orange to start with before it settles down and the citrus notes mix with the woods to settle. One of the longest lasting on the skin from the collection.
- Istanbul - Described as being an ambery, woody, spicy fragrance. It has top notes of bergamot, cardamom, red thyme. Heart notes of lavender absolute, Egyptian geranium essence, patchouli heart and sweet myrrh (opoponax) essence. Finally base notes of sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, amber and musks. When I first sprayed this I was reminded of Marzipan, not something I am a fan of admittedly but as soon as it dries down, the heart notes come through to give it quite a sweet but spicy tone and the vanilla thankfully doesn't overwhelm the other notes.
- London - This is my second most worn and I can't help but like it a lot. Described as being an ambery, woody, spicy fragrance. It has top notes of bergamot, cardamom, red thyme. Heart notes of lavender absolute, Egyptian geranium essence, patchouli heart and sweet myrrh (opoponax) essence and base notes of sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, amber and musks. This is a scent for Spring in my view, it is light, it is crisp, it is fresh with the cucumber note being quite prominent but working well with the heart notes. For me, a scent that is hard not to like.
- Los Angeles - Described as being a hot, sensual woody floral, this fragrance has top notes of eucalyptus, clary sage, mandarin orange and pineapple; heart notes of narcissus, tuberose and sea notes; base notes of cade oil, cypriol oil or nagarmotha, musk, heliotrope and guaiac wood. I am on the fence with this scent, I like the inclusion of eucalyptus which keeps those citrus notes from being over the top but as it dries down the Heliotrope note for me is a little too strong, but I don't dislike it.
- Tel Aviv - This fragrance my favourite of the set and it is described as being a floral fruity fragrance and it has top notes of clementine, bergamot, and blackcurrant bud. Heart notes of jasmine sambac absolute, Comoros’ ylang-ylang, rose oil and freesia with base notes of sandalwood, musks, Deer’s Tongue absolute (liatrix) and benzoin. This has all the notes I love within a fragrance and it is a beautiful floral with the dominance coming through from the Freesia. Ylang-Ylang and Jasmine whilst the note of bergamot is just ever so slightly there in the background.
- Tokyo - The final fragrance of the 8 and one which is described as being a zingy, spicy, woody fragrance. It has top notes of yuzu and bergamot with black pepper and cardamom, electrified with a dash of wasabi. Heart notes of hinoki, cedarwood, and incense, with iris, rose and nutmeg and base notes of amber, sandalwood, patchouli and vetiver. I was expecting this scent to be quite heavy given some of the ingredient notes within and with the spice coming from the likes of wasabi and nutmeg, they don't dominate. For me, the notes of Yuzu and Bergamot as an opener bring to life the zingy side before the base notes, which bring everything together for a fresh but calm fragrance and this is one which reminds me of another fragrance, I just can't think what it is.
What we have here from Gallivant are eight individual fragrances and no two are similar or even alike, the only thing they share other than the kit they arrive in, is one or two notes within the fragrances. The likes of Tokyo and Istanbul are unique and will test your nose but for me, Tel Aviv and Berlin would be the ones I would opt for.
Each one of these fragrances costs £65 for 30ml or this Discovery set which I was kindly gifted costs £25 here from the Gallivant site.
Have any of these fragrances caught your eye from their descriptions?
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